About This Session
Nobody handed us a manual on how to command a room, write an email a VP would actually read, or use AI without sounding like everyone else. And yet communication has become one of the most consequential skills in the IT leader's toolkit. Most IT professionals were hired for their technical expertise. The communication skills that determine whether their ideas land, their budgets get approved, and their teams feel heard were learned on the fly — or not at all.
This isn't a soft-skills pep talk. It's a working session with real frameworks, honest reflection, and tools you can put to work before you leave the room.
Three Disciplines
Writing with Intent
The Smart Brevity method for crafting messages that get read, understood, and acted on by busy stakeholders — VPs, faculty, and peers alike.
Presenting with Clarity
How to open strong, structure ideas for non-technical audiences, and avoid the common pitfalls that cause people to lose the room — even when your content is solid.
AI as Accelerator
Where AI tools genuinely help communication — and where over-reliance creates risk to your voice, authenticity, and professional trust.
Self-Assessment
A structured lens for identifying your communication strengths and the one or two areas most worth developing in the next 12 months.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply a practical writing framework rooted in Smart Brevity for crafting messages that get read, understood, and acted on by busy stakeholders.
- Use concrete strategies for presenting with clarity and confidence — how to open strong, structure ideas for non-technical audiences, and keep the room.
- Develop a grounded understanding of how AI tools can accelerate communication — and where over-reliance creates risk to voice, authenticity, and trust.
- Leave with a clearer sense of your communication strengths and the one or two areas most worth developing in the next 12 months.
Session Description
Two higher education technology leaders share what they've observed from years of watching communication succeed and fail at all levels. They'll offer a candid, practical framework built around three disciplines: writing with brevity and intent, presenting with presence and clarity, and using AI as a communication accelerator without becoming dependent on it. The session is designed as a working session — frameworks are applied, reflection happens in the room, and tools go home with you.